Dark Crescent
by Luna 24601
Summary: Emyr turned his back on his family and isn't ready to give up his freedom. With nowhere else to go, the vampire prince turns his sights on Los Angeles where a group of Roma protect the city. He meets his new partner Jessie Beauvillier and together they must discover who is taking their kind and why. And as their partnership turns into desire, they must question who they really are.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, hello :D After some long and hard thinking, I have decided to post the first chapter from the first book in the Crescent series! For those who have read Lover Promised, this is the story I've been working on for a while now. There are some similarities to my recent BDB stories and ones to come so consider this new story like a preview. Yes, Jessie's in this story as well and yes, she's a pain in the ass. I'll give you guys a brief summary of the first book since this is going to be a long series: this world is full of vampires and humans who are called Roma (short for Romani). These humans are born with an aura that makes people reconsider fighting and run (you know, that chill you get when something spooky is around the corner? Yeah, that one.) There are seven families who serve the vampire king and his family and have been for hundreds of years. Vampires and Roma mainly live in Europe since the main families and the king lives there. As for those who've traveled to America, that's where people like Jessie step in. I think that's as much as I'm willing to say for the moment. Now there are some names that'll be difficult to pronounce so look at the bottom for a little cheat sheet. I will also be posting this on my Wattpad page. Besides that, I hope you guys like the preview to this upcoming series._

* * *

Dark Crescent

Chapter One

The sun had set only two hours earlier and a waitress brought Emyr his third Erdinger Weißbier. Waiting for the waitress to leave his lonely booth with his refreshment, Emyr brought the glass mug to his lips and swallowed the alcohol until half remained. Placing the mug on top of a napkin, he ran a hand through his dyed black hair and glanced over at the group of vampires two tables away from him.

After waking to the night, Emyr had been prepared to leave Lüneburg and cross the German border into Belgium before the sun rose when unsavory news found its way to his ears. Learning that a local vampire had abused his mate and child, forcing the two to flee their home, he was more than ready to paint the walls with the male's blood.

For as long as he could remember, acting as the one to deliver justice came natural to him. It didn't matter if the incident had no connection to him; if he heard an innocent had been harmed with no punishment for the offender, he took matters into his own hands.

His bloodlust for justice was sadly put on hold when he found a bunch of Roma at the male's home. Since Emyr had spent a couple of nights in the town, he knew the Roma weren't locals. The way how they spoke in hushed voices and leaving two guards outside the building was a clear indicator they had been sent from Berlin.

Emyr spent a full hour waiting in some alley, waiting for the Roma to leave. When he thought he'd be spending his whole night in the narrow space, his mission was put on hold a second time as he followed the male and his companions to the bar. With minutes slowly turning into a second wasted hour, the liquor in his system only fueled the desire to walk over to the male and smash his smug face against the table.

Smirking at the thought of beating the bastard unconscious and finishing the drink, Emyr waved for a forth round when the air suddenly thickened. He wasn't the only one to notice the change in the atmosphere. All the vampires in the building paused, glancing over the crowd of humans, searching for the culprits. Sitting in a booth where he could see the front of the establishment, Emyr was the first to spot the Roma entering the building. As if realizing what they were doing, the Roma waved at the vampires and the aura surrounding them receded, the feeling to run following not far behind.

Emyr kept an eye on the newcomers while his kind went back to their meals. One look and he already knew they weren't from Germany. A waitress led them to the empty booth next to Emyr's, allowing him to listen in as they spoke. Wearing casual clothing to blend in with the tourists, they spoke in German with a foreign accent trialing their words. Emyr grasped his drink, his mind already identifying the foreign accent. Besides the obvious Spanish accent, the Roma were fairly tan compared to those in the room.

Now what were a bunch of Roma from Spain doing in the same town as Emyr was the question of the night.

He cursed to himself when the waitress departed and one of the Roma shimmied over into his booth, sitting across the vampire with only a table protecting him. Drink still in hand, Emyr stalled by drinking as slow as possible. That smirk of his returned from the sight of the annoyed Roma tapping their finger impatiently. Emyr was prepared to order a fifth round when the Roma reached for the empty mug and dragged it to his side of the table.

"You need to come with us," said the Roma.

Emyr leaned back, placing his hand over the bag tucked to his side. Casting his green gaze over towards his target, he glanced back at the Roma with a bored expression. "Now why would I do that?" he asked in a neutral voice.

The Roma settled in his seat and nodded to his back, indicating the group he entered in with. "We aren't the only ones," the Roma answered back. "Five more are waiting outside for us." Emyr kept his body still when the Roma leaned over so he could whisper. "And someone wants to talk to you."

Warning bells rung in Emyr's head.

"¿Mi padre?"

Relief washed over the male when the Roma shook his head. However he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. There were six Roma inside the bar with him and five extra waiting for them. If it wasn't Emyr's father who finally had the balls to come look for him, there was only one person that would require so many Roma to be present.

His attention shifted when the male he'd been following suddenly parted from his group. Watching the male head towards the front, Emyr curled back his lips in a snarl, revealing his fangs. "Tell him I'll be done in three minutes," Emyr growled as he threw down more than enough money to cover his tab and stood. The Roma waved for his friends to stay put as Emyr began to follow his target to the entrance.

It was time to act.

Right when the door swung behind Emyr, he surprised the male, grabbing him from behind and dragging him around the building. Once they were hidden from unwanted eyes, Emyr released the vampire only to land a solid punch in the gut. He quickly threw an uppercut, clenching his jaw as his knuckles connected with the chin. Watching the bastard fall to the ground didn't satisfy the anger growing inside him. Emyr was going to make this piece of shit pay, just like the rest of the sons of bitches he punished all over Europe for twenty years.

Standing over the gagging male, eyes the color of emeralds bore down on the male who raised his hand against his own blood. He focused on the little shit who thought he was going to get away with this crime. Well, his luck finally ran out. It was time to pay the piper and Emyr was more than ready to collect.

* * *

Jessie Beauvillier reached out from under the covers when an emergency siren went off. Touching the nightstand next to the circular bed, her fingers danced around its smooth surface until she caught the vibrating device. Because she couldn't afford a touchscreen phone, she opened the flip phone and moaned at the caller ID.

A body rolled up against hers, hands traveling down her back and gripping her ass. She rubbed her body against the vampire's, her body arching back when she felt two sharp teeth scape against her skin. If it wasn't for the damn phone demanding her attention, she'd push the male down against the mattress and restart their fun.

The siren kept getting louder.

Having no choice but to answer, Jessie playfully swatted the male back as she sat up and accepted the call. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" she snarled into the receiver. Then again, she didn't have a clue herself. And considering how the room contained no clocks, her best guess was the middle of the afternoon or something.

"I need you to come in," her boss said in his stern voice.

The bed shifted as the vampire rubbed his way up her back and started massaging her shoulders. "In the middle of something," she responded. "Whatever it is, get someone else to handle it. I got something I need to take care of."

"I have a female at the clinic."

Jessie pushed the vampire away. He pouted as he fell back on the fluffy pillows and stretched his body over the purple silk sheets. This was one of the more modest rooms the owner of Nightfall owned. Jessie hadn't been in the mood for one of the hardcore shit so she paid for this room along with whoever came with it. She might as well kiss her hard-earned money goodbye since she would be leaving with a trail of fire behind her.

"Tell me what happened." When Ilya didn't start spitting out details, she bared her teeth even though her boss wasn't there to see her. "Don't fuck around with me. Give me names and numbers, Ilya. How bad is she and how bad do I hurt the shithead who did it to her?"

"Fine. I got the call less than an hour ago from a scared Roma. She told me the vampire couple next door were fighting and the male threw her out. If it wasn't for the Roma, the female most likely would've died. All I know is that the female isn't doing so well and might need some medical help we can't provide. Andrea's with her so she'll keep me posted."

Jessie released a low snarl.

It was the middle of summer in Los Angeles, practically a total hazard for vampires who lived in the city. Being under the sun was just as bad; throw in the average eighty to ninety degrees or the rare hundreds and add it with the sun's burning light, that was like throwing someone inside an incinerator for five seconds.

L.A., just like the rest of the United-fucking-States, had no official rules for vampires and Roma; the country was basically a run-wild territory for the communities. The vampire king had yet to send any real help to establish order and the seven Romani households had their hands tied in the home countries. With no sense of order in the five largest cities in America, people like Jessie took it upon themselves in doing just that.

The L.A. Arcade where Jessie worked was just a front for the Los Angeles Syndicate. Because a small percentage of vampires and Roma populated the city, the organization had been established with the sole purpose of keeping order in the city.

It was because of the L.A.S. that the Roma who sheltered the injured female knew who to call in a time of need.

Now it was Jessie's turn to enforce the L.A.S.'s number one rule.

If the L.A.S. worked on logic, the logical move would've been for Ilya to send Luciano over to collect since he was a Villar. Those bred from the Villar family were warriors even though they were the lowest household of the seven. Instead, Ilya called the employee who possessed zero tolerance for those who broke their rule and would happily display the heads of vampires or Roma on a pike who even dared.

"Bring him in alive," ordered her boss. "I don't care if it's in one piece or more. That bastard is to have a steady pulse when he gets here."

"Where does he live?"

"Serrano Towers. Third floor. I already called the twins. Their one their way as we speak. Now get going. I have enough on my hands to deal with."

Ending the call with her orders, Jessie found her clothes neatly folded on a stool and started suiting up. And by "suiting up", it meant slipping into a pair of dark blue jeans and a turquoise crop top. Picking up her stiletto heels and strapping them to her feet, she finished her work uniform by clipping her stun gun holster to her pants. Removing the weapon and switching it on, she was more than satisfied as the gun clicked with each jolt sparking in the center. Placing the gun back where it belonged, Jessie marched over to the antique rotary dial and tapped the receiver once.

"Front desk," replied a cheery voice.

"I need a car ready for me in two minutes," Jessie ordered.

"It's on its way. Will that be all."

"Yes."

"Very well. May you have a wonderful day, Ms. Beauvillier."

A pair of hands slithered over Jessie's shoulders, ten fingers tangling themselves in wild brown hair. The fingers parted the brown from the indigo stripes dyed in and brought the blue strands to the male's lips, him sighing with a light kiss.

"Sounds like someone broke the L.A.S.'s cardinal rule. Why don't you send someone in your stead? You did pay for a full day's pleasure."

Jessie grabbed the male's hand and twisted, her fury stoked by his groans as he went down to his knees. With him bowing next to her, she patted him on the head and marched out of the room.

Red carpet ran each way in the hallway, its bloody color reflected from the mirror ceiling. Multiple black doors with white Roman numerals lined up along the walls, some either quiet like the dead or loud enough for the sex to be heard. Jessie paid no attention to the noises as she approached the elevator at the end of the hall and stepped inside.

Instead of heading to the upper levels of Nightfall, she pushed the button to take her down to the club. Rushing past the levels which contained more sex rooms, the doors parted once reaching its destination. There was little sun reaching past the drawn curtains. With the light fighting against the dark fabric, it was no doubt high noon on the west coast. As it was night for normal human to sleep, the rising sun was night for Roma and vampires. If the vampire couple had settled their dispute and waited till sundown to end things, Jessie would still be upstairs enjoying her treat.

With the club area being two floors, Jessie picked up her pace as she traveled down the stairs and strode over the dance floor. She spotted some sleeping forms in the distance; all of them undoubtedly Roma given how they didn't burn under the beams of sunlight. No one stirred as she made it to the golden grand doorway and showed herself out. Greeting her was another flight of stairs that took her directly main entrance of Nightfall.

The sight of a parked cab and a Nightfall employee waiting for her sent a sense of thrill rushing over her body. Hand placed over her stun gun, she was already imagining all the terrible and horrible shit she was going to inflict on the male who incurred her wrath.

* * *

 _Emyr:_ _Em-ear_

 _Ilya: Il-ya_

 _Luciano: Luc-i-ano_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

With the sun high in the bright sky, the stairwell unprotected from the light was at the mercy of the summer heat. The more Jessie stood in the stairwell, the more she wondered how terrifying it was for the Roma woman to drag the female into her apartment. Dezso and Ben told her that the woman was out of her wits when they showed up to ask her a couple of questions before securing the area.

Jessie jacked one of the steel bars on the stairwell, denting it under her heel.

"You need us to take point?"

She jerked around, glaring at Ben. Standing next to him was his identical twin, Dezso. From their light brown skin to the way their brown hair and eyes, the brothers were the perfect mirror image of the other. They even shared the same clothes since pay at the L.A.S. sucked like hell. The only way how to tell the two apart was that Dezso had pierced ears when Ben had none.

"Really, _Benedek_ ," she growled. Ben and Dezso backed away when she called the man by his full name. "How hard is it to follow one particular rule? We ask them one little thing and that bastard goes and fucks it up? No, you can' take point on this one! And must I remind you that dishing punishment for this rule breaking is my specialty?"

"Easy, easy." Dezso stepped between the two. "Ben only wanted you to blow off some steam before having your way with the male. Remember, Ilya said to bring him back _alive_. My brother here was just looking out for both parties."

True, Ilya did say to bring the bastard back with a beating pulse. But until the twins dragged the vampire's sorry ass down to the van for transportation, there was a world of hurt awaiting him. Jessie's hand dangling over the lethal holster strapped to her waist was just a nice reminder of what she had in store for the bastard.

"The van ready?"

"All's good. That's the door right there." Ben pointed to the door across from them. "I'll stay out here to make sure no one comes crawling around. You need Dezso to watch your back?" Jessie hissed at him. "Okay then. Bro, let's just hang back and let the lady do her job."

"You were the one who asked."

"Shut up."

With the brothers giving her some space, Jessie pounded her fist against the hard door until she heard a series of locks click. She peeked over her shoulder, catching Dezso standing on the stairs leading to the upper floors and Ben taking a seat on the bottom case. Hearing the door squeak open once it was free, Jessi cracked a menacing smile as she looked up at the vampire glaring down at her.

"What do you want?" growled the male.

Jessie kicked the door in.

Any ordinary kick from a regular human wouldn't have done any damage except for the one doing the kicking. However, the kick Jessie threw nearly ripped the door from its hinges; the kick was so strong a wide crack splintered up and down the center of the door, giving way until Jessie's heel made contact against the male, sending him flying back into his apartment.

Watching the vampire fumble around on the floor, Jessie stepped over the broken door halves and ripped off the remaining wood dangling from the top hinge. Behind her, she could hear the twins going to work in warning those still home to go back inside.

"My name is Jessie Beauvillier and as a representative of the Los Angeles Syndicate, I am here to inform you that you are hereby under arrest for attempted manslaughter. I would ready you your rights and shit, but I simply don't give a rat's ass. Now get on your feet, you fuck. I want to enjoy this."

The vampire was taller than her by a foot and was a bit muscular than the typical male, giving him the upper hand if he was in a fight against a common human. And even though Jessie was wearing heels and only had a stun gun as a weapon, she was more than ready for combat when it came to fighting a vampire or two.

Taking in her surroundings, she noticed that the apartment was protected by heavy curtain to keep the afternoon sun from entering. Jessie eyed the other entry in the small room; she returned her attention to the male when she saw it was just a tiny kitchen. The only source of sunlight was from the empty doorway behind her. If the male wanted to make a break for it, he'd have to get past Jessie and the twins guarding the stairs.

No way in hell was Jessie giving him a sliver of hope in escaping.

He hissed and bared his long fangs at her, which really seemed silly. He was a natural born predator and he felt threatened by her? Poor Charles Darwin didn't anticipate the future generation of the Romani families who would one day serve the vampires. Besides every Roma was born with, a rare group were gifted wither certain abilities.

Feeling the surge of power in Jessie's legs was nature's way of telling the assumed prey that she was the predator and the target in front of her was nothing more than prey.

Perhaps thinking he could plow right through, the vampire charged straight at Jessie. Instead of jumping out of the way, she placed her right leg back so she was standing sideways in the narrow hallway. Jessie then pivoted around in a blue of brown and blue as she threw out a back-kick.

She could feel the rib cage break under her foot as she made precise contact. Blood dripped on her stiletto as the vampire stood hunched over with a stupid look on his face. As he brought his stunned gaze up to look her in the eyes, more blood from his nasty mouth fell over her jeans, leaving a red trail up her leg. Baring her human teeth at the male, Jessie drew back her foot from his chest; she followed up with a snap kick with the same leg. Watching the bastard's head snap back with more blood spewing from his lips, Jessie wasn't ready to let him off the hook just yet.

As her target stumbled back with a severe chest injury and perhaps a broken jaw, there was enough room to step forward for another attack. Jessie crossed the distance with a spinning-hill kick to the side of the vampire's face. Feeling her heel cave in a crack brought a smile to her face. Her smile deepened as he was flung across the room from impact and crashed right into the wall. A shelf rattle from the blow, sending trinkets tumbling and crashing to the floor. Two picture frames tore from their nails and cracked after a rough landing on the hard floor.

There was also a vampire shaped body embedded in the cheap wall.

Jessie stalked up to the limp body and waited long enough for the male to sit up. He bared his bloody fangs, causing her nose to wrinkle in disgust.

"You're lucky my boss wants you alive," she snarled.

Her last move involved a roundhouse to the opposite side of his head. Unlike the previous moves she used on him, the kick was the one that not only took the male out in one swing, but would require medical attention. Jessie could already see the brain damage happening in that half-shattered skull of his.

Giving out a whistle, she watched as Ben and Dezso took one arm each and dragged the vampire outside. They took their time dragging the body downstairs, taking their sweet under the sun as they dragged the male to the van.

Jessie opened the van's back door open as the two carried a burning vampire over. With one mighty heavy, the twins dumped the male inside with no grace whatsoever. Leaving the two to deal prisoner, she strolled over to the passenger side, hopped in with a heavy sigh, and started unstrapping her heels.

A stifled moan came from Jessie the moment she removed her heels. Relief flood over her nerves as she rolled her jeans up to her knees.

"Are they bad?" Dezso asked behind the steel mesh, strapping the vampire down so he would've roll around on their way back to the arcade.

Bed slid into the driver's seat and mimicked his twin's worried face as he took in a good look of Jessie's legs. She waved for him to carry on. By the time they got back to the arcade to book the male, the twins would be turning around and head straight to the airport. No doubt the Texans were halfway in the air by now with the medical team.

Jessie propped her feet up on the dashboard and started messaging her now semi-severe bruised legs.

* * *

Emyr slowed to a halt on the Brausebrücke bridge. The Roma escorting him stopped as in their tracks, watching the vampire with curious looks. Under their feet, stray boats cruised down the Ilmenau, waves casted from the boats crashing against the harbor. With the bridge empty of any vehicles, Emyr could hear the music resonating from the old river.

A lone figure stood at the center of the bridge.

Bringing the cigarette to his lips and inhaling, gray smoke floated out of Alejandro Villar's nose. Unlike his people who tried to blend in with the public, the Roma completely stood out with is attire: dressed in a worn plaid shirt over a light blue collared tee, the under shirt was tucked in the waistband of his dark jeans. Old leather cowboy boots were covered by the cuffs of his pants, brushing over the dull spurs tied to the boots. Everything about the man screamed western. Well, a western Spaniard. All he needed was a cowboy hat to finish the picture. Besides his sense of fashion, his body was that of someone who worked under the scorching sun by how dark his skin was and by the roughness of his hands.

Nothing about him resembled what a traditional head of the Romani family should look like. Alejandro was simply a hardworking man and lived up to the title he'd been born with in a different way compared to the other Romani leaders.

Gray eyes shifted over to Emyr, scanning the male from head to toe. The color of his eyes alone set Alejandro apart from his people. He casually waved his hand, a signal for the men sworn to follow his command to obey. The eleven Roma around Emyr dispersed, each taking part in a formation in which allowed them to keep an eye on their leader and be in reaching distance if things went south.

Emyr joined the head of the Villar family, shaking his head when Alejandro offered him a cigarette.

"Been busy I hear, mijo," Alejandro said before taking another hit.

Fresh blood coated Emyr's knuckles. He hadn't bothered to wipe it away since some of it was his. He accidently went a little too far and broke skin when he was beating the crap out of the male. The cuts were still healing since it had been a week since he last fed, but Emyr welcomed the stinging pain every time wind slid over the wounds. It was also a small comfort to know the male he harmed would never harm his own ever again.

"I hear the same thing about you," the vampire replied. Emyr watched as another boat made its way down the river. "Should I even ask how you found me?"

Alejandro chuckled to himself and flicked some ash over the bridge.

"Oh, you know. Your papá called me an hour ago and told me to pick you up. Really inconvenient for me."

Emyr knew too well what the Roma meant. As if they were cut from the same cloth, Alejandro didn't have time for political bullshit. The Villar family was number seven of the seven families, practically a leg up from the middle class of their people. Alejandro was a working man, really left Spain and his people, too busy making money to keep those under his care afloat. He was known to miss annual meetings and the king never punished him for his absence.

Alejandro was the only Roma the king would pardon for such negligence because of a well-known fact: he was the strongest Roma of his time.

Certain Roma were born with more than just the ability to keep fights from breaking out. For instance, it wasn't just his arms or legs, but Alejandro's entire body was a weapon. Faster and stronger than any vampire in existence, Alejandro was a single army who could take on Emyr's race for a certain amount of time before his ability's side effect kicked in.

There were only three head members who had these strange abilities and Alejandro got the best of the three. It was this ability that made him the perfect fetch dog for the king. Not even Emyr's father could hold a match against the man. The only thing keeping Alejandro in check was his love for his people and willingness to do anything to ensure their safety. This weakness of his was all the king needed to make sure the Roma would do his bidding.

Which brought them back to their current predicament.

"Sí, your papá knew where you were, mijo. Gave me your location and told me to bring you home."

"And do you mind telling me how he knew?"

"No sé."

Two decades and the king of the vampire nation was now ready to drag his first born back. What Emyr wanted to know was how the hell did his father find him. For years, he'd remained elusive, constantly on the move so the king would never find him. Of course, he knew that out of his eight siblings, his younger brother continued to search for him and he respected Vadim for it. But not once did Emyr reach out to his brother, fearing their father was shadowing the second prince's search.

All of his hard work now seemed pointless if what Alejandro was saying turned out true. The son of a bitch knew where Emyr was the entire time.

He knew in his heart he couldn't take Alejandro down. And if he somehow got the upper hand to run, there were the other Roma to deal with. Then the fight would cause a commotion and the humans who were on the lonely streets would come investigating the brawl, no doubt the incident reaching the ears of the Romani family in charge of Germany.

"Listen to me, mijo. There are two ways this goes down."

"Let me guess." Emyr nodded to the other Roma. "I try to fight my way out of here and you hogtie my ass?"

Alejandro paused for a second, obviously imagining the scene. Emyr felt an actual shiver run up his body when the Roma grinned. "Ahora eso podría ser divertido," he mused to himself. Glancing over at the offended vampire, he laughed while killing the cigarette against his boot. "Just thinking, just thinking. But sí, something like that. And I do know how to hogtie."

With option one out in the open, Emyr just had to know how bad door number two was. He waved for Alejandro to deliver the bad news. Who knew? Maybe option one would be better than the latter. Surely, he would take it if the second choice didn't hold any merit.

"And the second?"

Taking in a lungful of fresh air, Alejandro removed his lighter and began playing with the flame. Red and orange flickered over his gaze, the gray melding the two colors together. He played with the lighter for another minute before shoving it back in his pocket. Whistling to his people, he waved his finger in a circle, the action resembling an unspoken order. They all nodded and left their posts, leaving their leader with the prince. Once it was just the two of them on the bridge, Emyr looked at Alejandro.

"Planes leave Europe every day, mijo. Hard to keep up on which goes where. Especially those leaving to America." A wicked grin cracked on the Roma's face. "Your papá told me you were here, here and ready to pick up. He didn't say anything about you being gone when I got here. Entender?"

Emyr didn't bother hiding his surprise; Alejandro chuckled from the male's reaction. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you deliberately disobey my father?"

"No disobeying, mijo. Just bad luck." Alejandro tossed the cigarette to its watery death. "Should try Los Ángeles. Your papá never looks past mi casa. Easy place to start new life. Have familia there. I'll give them a call."

Los Angeles. One of the five colonies in America for Roma and vampires. The country was so far away that those of high ranking—the king in particular—didn't care on what happened overseas. As for the citizens, America was just like how it had been in the early days: a place of new beginnings.

Emyr never considered fleeing to the country. To him, Europe was the homeland and he couldn't abandon it as easy as he did the crown. The soil under his feet were his roots, reminding him that the continent was the place of his birth and sanctuary no matter where he was. America was completely different. Besides the Roma who were forced to flee their homes during certain time periods, both them and the vampires were hesitant when traveling to America to this day.

Just thinking about flying to a land he'd never been to frightened Emyr. Not scared. Frightened. And to make the anxiety worsen, the idea had been planted by the head of a Romani family. Alejandro was practically goading him with the thought. That smirk on his face was proof that his suggestion rattled the male.

"Either that or I take you to your papá. Tu elección, mijo."

"Why?" Emyr found himself repeating. "Why are you doing this?"

Even though they were already close, Alejandro leaned so far over that his lips brushed against Emyr's ears.

"December second, nineteen ninety-two."

The date froze the male in place.

Something tight clamped on Emyr's shoulder. It started out as a pinch, but slowly grew until his jaw locked tight. His body tensed so hard it felt like snapping in half as the pressure continued to grow. He swore he could feel it reach his bones with each passing second.

"Recuerde, mijo. Alguien tenido a hazlo," Alejandro whispered. As he words echoed in Emyr's skull, he felt the Roma finally release the deathly grip he'd placed on the male's shoulder. With him now free, Emyr already knew under his clothes that five distinctive bruises decorated his skin.

Alejandro spoke some more, but Emyr wasn't paying attention. What the Roma said to him brought up nasty memories he buried a long time ago. Memories that revolved around that night with him and his father.

The order he _refused_ to follow.

* * *

 _Benedek: Ben-ed-ek_

 _Dezso: Dez-so_

 _Vadim: Vah-deem_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ending a long-distance call, Ilya Grishin leaned back in his chair and rubbed his palms against his eyes. It was barely two hours into the morning—ten o'clock at night—and he felt as if he hadn't slept in two days. That was what happened when he and his people dealt with situations before sundown.

Ilya oversaw the early calls since he slept in his office. After paying for the arcade and renovations, it only made sense for him to live in the back instead of an overpriced apartment. There had been the usual complaint calls, situations he could deal with over the phone and those he promised to send one of his people to settle once the night began. Besides that, he was able to sneak a nap on his cot when his line rung.

The frantic Roma and seriously wounded vampire hadn't been expected.

Vampires were damn vulnerable during the day. No matter how fast their kind healed, the sun was the sword constantly dangling over their heads, threating to fall when given the change.

When he established the L.A.S., his first rule was that no one—may they be Roma or vampire—be refused shelter before the sun rose. Los Angeles was one of the five cities in the United States both races lived in. Although the population numbers were low in the country, vampires held a higher percentage living in America than his people. Numbers didn't matter to the organization under his control or the other four cities. To them, order was a high priority and no one was above the law they enforced.

Fight or not, the damn male knew Ilya would send the one person who took his main rule seriously. And while Jessie was undoubtedly using his head to crack walls, Ilya placed a call for the H.T.F—Houston Task Force—to send their people to pick up the bastard. The Texans were more than happy to add another victim to their over-growing prison. Once he ended the call with the H.T.F,'s leader, he received a text from Andrea, reporting that the clinic supervisor was requesting a transfer for the female, stating her injuries were too severe and that they didn't have the equipment to treat her.

The call Ilya just finished was with the head physician at the P.P.C.—Philadelphia Protection Center—confirming with the woman that the ten thousand he wired for the female's treatment went through.

Ten thousand dollars that wasn't his.

Ilya placed his hands on the old desk's surface, tracing the crack splintered over the top. This desk had been in the office the day he bought the building and turned it into an arcade to hide the L.A.S. Besides the desk and filing cabinets behind him, his personal touch to his little office was the cot up against the wall, the thin blankets neatly folded on top of the pillow. Out of everything he did in order to make the city a save place for the communities, he still couldn't believe the name his people picked. The only reason why syndicate was part of their title was because the others liked how it sounded.

They took a vote; he lost one to seven.

Now adding ten grand to the ten million debt the L.A.S. owed to the vampire in charge of the city's black-market, he knew the next thing to do was make a third phone call to Axelle. It was more of a humility call since the withdrawal for the money automatically flagged the moment Ilya touched it. Reaching over for his landline, he paused when the phone started ringing. The area number wasn't a local number; it wasn't even from the states. Ilya took the call. "This is Ilya Grishin, head of the Los Angeles Syndicate."

"¡Buenos días, chica!"

Ilya hung up.

Dropping the phone back on the receiver and glaring at it, he watched as the machine began to ring. The only person in the world to sound so cheery early into the day was without a doubt Alejandro Villar. Considering it was seven in the morning in Spain, Ilya knew for damn sure the Roma had a very busy schedule. That was all everyone could talk about at the annual meetings with the king and nobles. It was usually "Why couldn't he change before coming?" or "What's that terrible smell?". The real kicker was when Alejandro showed up only to take a much-needed nap during the meetings.

Having been born second to the head of the Grishin family, there had been no expectation of Ilya ever succeeding his family line, thus barring him from the meetings. The only reason why he could come was because his older sister suggested he might one day need to stand in as a proxy for her in case she was busy; their mother understood the logic, allowing him to join them as long as he stayed out of the way. Because of his sister, the Roma got the opportunity to meet Alejandro.

Their first encounter started with Alejandro asking if the name Ilya was a girl's name.

With the ringing on the verge of driving him mad, Ilya snatched the phone and spoke before Alejandro could so much as make another snide remark about his name. "It is sunup on your side of the planet," he said through gritted teeth. "Don't you have a—," He paused when he heard a loud moo. "Was that a cow?"

"Sí. Just finished branding him."

There was a hissing sound on the other end, a nice imagery of a hot brand meeting water; he could hear men and women shouting in Spanish along with more mooing and horses neighing. With the whole time difference between California and Spain, it was a major surprise for Alejandro be on the phone while beginning his daily routine.

"What do you want, Alejandro? And before we start this, don't call me _chica_."

A laugh muffled the sound of animals. "Sorry, chi—I mean, Ilya." There was a quick pause for chuckles. "I figured your people would be open for the day. It took me a while to look up your main number, though."

"Yeah, well, our organization works on a low budget so we don't advertise as much as the other four. And since I don't want to keep you from running your ranch, how about you tell me why your calling?"

Another set of laughter. "Impatient as ever."

"Only with you. Now talk. I have a busy schedule."

"Sí, sí. I just wanted to be courteous and tell you I have a special vampire flying to your city as we speak."

Ilya tossed his head back and moaned out loud. Every night, at least six or seven newcomers arrived in L.A. About ten percent of the arrivals had families in the city, making it easier for the L.A.S. to help them get settled in. As for the other ninety percent, the small organization was up to their eyeballs when it came to locating suitable residents. Now Alejandro was giving him a goddamn curtesy call about an extra—no, make that _special_ —soul heading their way.

"If he's a noble, Alejandro, he's going to need to follow our procedures. I'll need his name, next of kin, someone he knows that I can call, all that jazz. And if he's coming without anyone to vouch for him, the best I can do is send someone over to the airport and take him to one of our shelters. There's a long waiting list for a place to call home so I can't give this male any special treatment."

"I understand but—,"

"No 'but'. He either signs his name on the waiting list or you can try another city. If you need to relay his answer, call this number or your cousin. Now if you excuse me, I really do have work to attend to."

A slur of Spanish words flowed through the phone, too low for Ilya to hear. None of it mattered since his Spanish was less than desirable. All he could do was sit in his chair and wait for the Roma to come up with a fast decision.

"¿Estás solo?"

"Yes. Now spill it."

Alejandro drew in a heavy breath and said, "The vampire is Emyr."

Ilya jumped to his feet, knocking his chair straight against the wall. "Вы иметь получил быть чертов ребячество меня!" he shouted in his natural tongue.

"Easy, chico. My Russian is not even at beginner's level."

Leaving his chair on the ground, Ilya planted his ass on the desk and hissed into the phone. "Why the fuck is Ryszard's son coming to my city?" A second question clicked in his head. "And where the fuck has the vampire been?"

"His business, amigo. All I know is that he's not ready to go home, comprende?"

Ilya rubbed his tired eyes. "So, the king's finally collecting his heir, huh? But why here? Can't you send him to New York or Chicago? I mean, hell, Texas would be more than happy to take him in."

"Ilya—"

"Seriously, don't try to bullshit me. Not only do I have employees who give me that on a daily basis, I have thousands of lives I'm responsible for and I don't want them wandering into the crosshairs between the Crown Prince and the fucking king. Give me one good reason to open my home to the male."

The older Roma continued him mumbling like the conversation had become uncomfortable for him; a minute ticked by and their little chat was put on pause as Alejandro ordered his people to get the saddles ready. Another voice interrupted the long-distance call, Ilya's mind able to translate the discussion. Someone needed Alejandro's signature so they could start prepping the cows for the market, the sound of pen meeting paper audible. Unlike Ilya who proclaimed himself the leader of the L.A.S., Alejandro was a real leader born and bred.

Once it sounded like it was just the two of them again, there was a long pause as if Alejandro choosing the right words to say. "How many Villars work in these organizations, Ilya? ¿Veinte? ¿Treinta? My people rarely travel from Spain. Luciano is one of the very few to cross the Atlantic _and_ join an organization. I trust him like a brother. That is why the prince is coming to you."

It was Ilya's turn to go quiet. In a way, Alejandro managed to avoid answering his question. If the vampire king wanted his blood back, he would first send the Villar family leader after the male before sending other vampires or Roma. No doubt the bastard already tried, resulting in the cloak and dagger shit. And if word got out that the prince sought sanctuary overseas, no doubt Ilya would be seeing Alejandro in the flesh.

A good leader decline the request, knowing it was too huge of a gamble for those under his protection. But the more Ilya was left alone with his thoughts, a small piece of logic told him that Emyr was another poor soul who wanted to live his own life and was willing to do whatever he had to in order to keep his freedom.

Just like those who worked for Ilya.

"When will he be here?"

"His flight took off a little after two in the morning over here. And given our time difference and that the flight will take twelve hours, it will still be night when he gets to California. Y por favor, don't tell anyone who he is. We don't need to give Ryszard a reason to suspect you."

"Alejandro, you're sending the successor to the vampire throne to my doorsteps and you're asking me not to tell my people? I'll let you in on a little secret. No even I can get away with anything without them knowing. You'll just have to take my word that no one will rat-out the male."

Alejandro gave an exhausted sigh. "Alright, Grishin. I'm putting my faith in you." Another famous pause. "You helping unties the arm behind my back."

Then the king did send the Roma after Emyr. Disobeying the vampire was the total opposite of missing or being late to the annual meetings. Whatever reason Alejandro had in breaking free from his leash had to be worth it if he was willing to risk his family.

"Don't worry about it. I'll have Emyr set before he steps off the plane. And between you and me, I think it would be wise for you not to call me or your cousin. We don't want to tip our hand if we want the male to live in peace."

"Mantenerlo a salvo."

Ending the call, Ilya twisted his head and cracked his knuckles. Information of Emyr would undoubtedly flood through the city a night or two after his arrival. The prince would find it unsettling and perhaps think of fleeing the moment he heard. However, Los Angeles operated differently than the other cities, making the city the perfect place for the male to feel safe. Snatching the receiver and dialing a number, the Roma waited and prepared himself when Axelle answered the call. He relied the information and sat through another string of curses in a foreign language as the situation was made clear. Promising Ilya papers first thing tomorrow night with the extra two thousand thrown in their debt, it was time to tell his team of the new arrival.

He knew this was going to be entertaining the moment he heard someone shriek.

Stepping out of the safety of his office, the first thing Ilya saw was Luciano on the floor, body twitching and eyes rolled back. Standing over the Roma were two vampire children around the age of six. They giggled while playing hot-potato with a stun gun. Behind them at her desk was Jessie laughing her ass off.

The first person to notice their boss in the room was Andrea. Standing from her seat, her light blue eyes latched onto him as if searching for any hints of trouble. Her desk was closest to his office, the best spot for her to clearly hear him shout behind the walls. Wearing a black and gold veil fashioned to conceal her face and clothing to cover every inch of her skin, those outside the communities constantly confused her for Muslim.

Waving his hand and smiling, he knew Andrea was smiling back as she returned to her seat and watched as the children poked Luciano with the gun.

As their comrade suffered on the floor between their desks, Nikolina was too busy playing online poker while Stojan was reading a book with his feet on top of his desk. The Roma caught his beer when the siblings squealed and bumped into the furniture, avoiding Luciano as he finally found his feet and went after them.

On the other side of the room, the twins pressed their bodies against the coffee table—hot mug of coffee for Ben and two beer bottles for Dezso—as the young ones ran in their direction. By the time Luciano caught one, the child holding the weapon shocked the Roma a third time and rescued their sibling. As the kids darted in front of Ilya and passed the makeshift cell, he noticed a Roma boy who looked ten taking a nap on one of the wooden benches. The boy shooed the vampires out and went back to sleep.

The L.A.S. also ran as a nightcare for the Roma and vampires who couldn't get a babysitter for the night.

Before they could hurt anyone any further, Ilya plucked the gun from the vampire's fingers and told them to go play in the arcade. As if that was the best idea in the world, the two tugged the boy awake and dragged him along with them. Once they were gone, Ilya chucked the gun back to Jessie.

"Mind telling me what that was about?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Luciano and I were having a disagreement."

"So you had children shock him for you?"

"They asked if they could play with it."

"And this is why kids like you best," commented Nikolina, her eyes completely focused on the computer screen.

"Yeah, what she said," Stojan agreed without looking up from his book.

Ilya felt the never-ending headache create a new category of pain. "Andrea, do you mind keeping an eye on those kids?" he asked. "I don't feel comfortable with them running around unsupervised."

"Don't want to deal with the parents?"

"Not tonight."

Ilya waited for his second to catch up with the kids before instructing the twins to take a seat and for the others to listen in. He pointed a look at Jessie, knowing full well she always half-listened in meetings before doing things how she liked it. The only time she followed rules was when they benefitted her mood.

"We will be expecting a male later tonight. I want Stojan and Jessie to welcome him and bring him to the L.A.S."

This time it was Stojan instead of Jessie who complained. "Why are we rolling out the red carpet for one newcomer? If he has family here, we'll give him a ride over like the good Samaritans we are. If not, we'll take him to one of the shelters."

"Because this vampire is no ordinary male."

Ilya felt his skin prickle when five pair of eyes locked on his position. This was what he had to deal with every night: everyone in this room besides him and Andrea patrolled the streets so the humans wouldn't notice the two communities in L.A. They were known for asking kindly once and using fists when negotiations failed. Then there were the nights when no one asked questions until they solved the situation with a body under their feet.

All of them watched Ilya as if he would become their punching bag in the next five seconds.

"You two will be greeting the Crown Prince of the vampire nation."

 _"_ _Are you fucking kidding me?"_ they all shouted in unison.

"Listen!" Ilya ordered in a stern voice. "Alejandro Villar, Luciano's own cousin, is sending a personal 'fuck you' to the king and sending the male to our jurisdiction for help." He met each person straight in the eye. "I know we're behind on finding places for the other arrivals and there's nothing we can do about that. Now I'm not saying to drop everything to help Emyr in finding a place for him to call home. He can wait a bit. All I'm asking is for one of you to swallow your pride and allow him to bunch at your place for a few nights."

Those murderous glares went straight at Jessie. She answered the challenge with a blue charge going off from her stun gun; a hiss came from her when Ilya found himself joining in on the staring contest.

"No fucking way," she growled.

"Come on, Jessie," chided Luciano. "You're the only one here who owns a studio. You have more than enough room for one more."

Jessie aimed her gun at the Roma, smirking as he stumbled out of her reach. Turning her weapon to her boss, she stomped a foot on the floor, leaving a dent from the end of her heel. "If Luciano's cousin was the one who called, I say let him suffer."

"I share a room with three Roma already," he countered, keeping his distance. "Mind telling me how I'm going to explain to the landlord about the extra body I'd be bringing?"

Nikolina quirked a black eyebrow when the hand wielding the gun was pointed in her direction. "Really? I live in a garden shed. It's a miracle if the owners don't find me sleeping naked."

"Fine! How about you two? Surely you can house a vampire at your place."

The twins took one look at each other and sat at their desks simultaneously. Staying in sync, they kicked up their feet and folded their arms over their chests. "Yeah, living above a restaurant used as a front for Axelle to do business is the perfect place for this newcomer to bunk at," joked Ben.

Dezso leaned over to his twin. "Did we forget to tell them about the bullet holes in our floor?"

The younger twin leaned to his brother. "No, I don't think so." He clapped his hands. "Wait, don't tell me we left out the story when the entire building went into a winter freeze. That was, like, the best night ever."

With her options dwindling, she set her sights on Stojan who went back to reading his book. Not registering the deathly gaze, the Roma didn't flinch when Jessie slammed her heel on the desk's surface, creating a crack on the poor wood. "I sleep on a couch someone's willing to lend or in my ride. I don't think the prince will enjoy the backseat of my Firebird during daylight hours," he said without looking up.

Chairs wheeled away from the Roma as if they finally smelled the stank on him. Even Ilya backed up when Stojan waved under his armpit to scare Jessie off.

Jessie spun around to face Ilya. Truth be told, she had two options remaining but one was already out the window. Andrea volunteered at the local clinic and was given a room to use by the head physician. Besides the act of generosity, the only room available were for Roma and vampires who needed medical treatment, especially for those with blood poison. Asking her to be held responsible for another vampire would be pushing it.

Now with Ilya's turn to come up with an excuse, he needed to come up with something really good. The back of the arcade where the L.A.S. was stationed had plenty of room and extra when the twins took the van. Hell, the containment cell was a room by itself. He couldn't play the boss card no matter how much he wanted. It would just give Jessie the excuse to shock him and saunter out with a victory.

Her fingers twitched over the power button.

"I don't think it would be wise for the prince to spend his mornings here. Even though the L.A.S. don't have any real enemies, it only takes one idiot to walk in during sunup to cause trouble," he said with a straight face. He needed to throw in a sweetener for Jessie to take the job and it needed to be good. "And Luciano's right. You have more than enough room."

"Don't drag me back into this," the Roma warned.

Ilya was too busy fending off the eyeroll to stop when he said, "Just tell me what you want and let's be done with it."

Everyone gasped in shock as that lethal grin of Jessie's grew. Flipping the gun in her hand, she sheathed it in its holster and tapped her chin. With seconds creeping by, Ilya feared whatever she demanded of him would come back to bite him on the ass. He held his breath when Jessie snapped her fingers and pointed at him with her hand formed like a gun.

"I want a steak."

Not even an inhale of oxygen was audible.

"And not the HEB crap. I want you to dig out your wallet and buy me the most expensive steak from the most expensive restaurant this city has to offer. And since you're being so generous, I'd also like to place an order for some sides and their number one desert. Toss in a bottle of wine while you're at it."

Ilya dropped his face in his hands, "Sure," he spoke through his fingers. "I mean, we do our best to keep the communities happy while working on a minimum wage salary. I'm pretty sure one meal worth a paycheck or two won't break the camel's back."

Giving a firm nod, Jessie took a pen and jotted something down on a piece of paper. Strutting up to Ilya, she smacked the paper on his chest, releasing her hold long enough for him to catch it. He glanced down at paper containing her order and gasped. She sure as hell wasn't kidding on all the money he'd have to pay for her meal.

As if his shocked expression was all that was needed to satisfy her, she pushed past her boss and beelined it over to the door that would take her through the repair room and straight to the arcade. "I'll be up front working off some steam," she said over her shoulder. "Call for me when my meal arrives. I want to eat it while it's still hot."

Once Jessie left the room, everyone went back to doing their own thing, acting as if the last five minutes hadn't happened. It was the paper in Ilya's hand that kept his mind in reality. He did ask Jessie whatever she wanted and she cashed it in. Now he just had to double check his bank account and place the damn order. In a way, his words rung true; paying for one expensive meal wouldn't harm them in the grand scheme of things.

Ilya hoped Emyr knew what he was getting into the moment his laid his sight on the city of angels. If not, he was in for a rude and scarring awakening. And that damn nightmare came with indigo blue hair.

* * *

 _Axelle: Ax-elle_

 _Nikolina: Ni-ko-li-na_

 _Stojan: Stoy-ahn_

 _Ryszard: Ri-shahrt_


End file.
